What is a vehicle history check?

A vehicle history check (sometimes called a car history check) looks at a used car's records for things you can't find out just by looking at it or taking it for a drive.

There are two broad kinds of information. Official government records cover things like the car's MOT history, recorded mileage and tax status, and these can be checked for free. Other records, held by finance companies, insurers and the police, cover things like outstanding finance, theft reports and insurance write-offs, and checking those usually costs money.

What it means for a buyer: checking before you buy means you know what's on record rather than hoping, whether the result is reassuring or raises questions worth asking. It doesn't replace seeing the car in person, a test drive or an independent inspection, but it covers the part of a car's past you can't see.

Our Confidence Report covers stolen vehicle, outstanding finance, insurance write-off, salvage auction and third party risk marker checks, alongside the free lookup results. See the Confidence Report →